Tourism has long provided economic benefits – jobs and income – for national and local economies. Especially in developing countries, tourism has the potential to generate employment and income and to improve the quality of life of local people in the destination areas, but in reality just the opposite happens: social and spatial segregation, loss of land tenure, concentration of wealth and income and other undesirable social, cultural and environmental impacts. This is the case of some places on the coast of Ceara and many other places around the world. But, fortunately, there are exceptions, places with community based tourism projects. Community tourism seeks to ensure that impacts are positive ones and provide economic benefits to local communities, values local culture and diversity and protects the environment. Tourism can thus provide a lasting benefit to local communities. Ultimately, responsible tourism is about the mutual benefit for local people and visitors. Community based tourism contributes to conservation of biodiversity, sustains the well being of local people, provides a learning experience to the visitor and stresses local participation, empowerment, ownership and business opportunities for the population.